My journey with the Goddess

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When I first came to Kemeticism I didn’t even know it was a religion being practiced by anyone. Isis called me and I answered in the only way I knew how. I created my own ritual without books and hardly any historical knowledge. I just built a ceremony that seemed right to me.

Coming from a previously Catholic background my earliest ritual was heavily influenced by the structure of the Mass. I would light the candles, say my prayers (in a very formal fashion) and then had my own “Communion.” Instead of the Eucharist I substituted a cup of milk to represent the life-giving milk of Isis. As I read about other people’s rituals in offering bread, milk and water to the gods, the Communion part felt a bit out of place, so I dropped it.

This is my current ritual I use:

Ring a bell

Light candles (LED electric ones)

Prayer:All hail to you Netjeru. Receive this light. May it shine upon You as you shine upon me. Praise to you Sekhmet (place a candle before the statue). Praise to you Djehuty (candle). Praise to you Isis (candle). Praise to you Osiris (candle). Praise to you Anubis. Praise to your Horus (candle).

With the LED candles burning, light some incense. I use an electric cigarette lighter which is flameless and lights up the incense beautifully.

Prayer:Receive this incense from me, most pure.

Instead of putting the incense in the holder I tend to wave the incense stick gently before each statue almost like a wand. I discovered I could create a smoke ring with the incense which is very cool and beautiful with the lit candles. After I get enough scent, I extinguish the incense in the ashes as I don’t like too much incense in the room.

Now bring out your offerings. It varies depending on the time of day I pray. Most of my offerings are based on what I’m willing to eat or drink at that time as I don’t want it to go to waste. Of late I’ve been offering them my breakfast which often means a cup of milk and some cornflakes.

I take the cup first and wave it once left to right before the Netjeru before raising it up in the middle above the Isis statue before setting it down.

Prayer:Take this milk. Drink and be refreshed.

Now I take the food offering. Often I’ll customize the prayer depending on what food item it is. If I baked it or made the offering I’ll add it to the prayer. Here are some examples.

Offerings:

Cake:

(Formal) Take this cake which I baked for you. May you enjoy its sweetness.

(Informal) Enjoy this cake I made tonight. It tastes great and I thought you’d like it.

(Formal) Enjoy this sweet, delicious banana. May it nourish and restore you.

(Informal) Okay, I know a banana is a strange offering, but it’s yummy. Give it a try.

So why the informal offering form? Because the Netjeru sometimes have a sense of weird humor and chuckle with some of my offerings – like breakfast cereal to Sekhmet. Set thinks the banana is hilarious.

Now once I give the offerings and they’re sitting in the shrine, it’s time for the active prayer. You can petition them. If you want to do divination (I use Egyptian style tarot) or heka this is a good time. Sometimes I’ll recite a litany to Isis if I have nothing to say or am not feeling like She’s present that night. Most of my prayers are more like a conversation. I mostly talk with Isis, telling Her about what is bothering me or what I must do to improve a situation.

Now this is the most important part …

You must remain silent after you’ve spoken. I’ve gotten some incredible insights from the Netjeru in that silence, but you must be willing to be quiet and wait for them to talk. Sometimes in the silence you can just enjoy each other’s company and feel Their presence. In my experience, the Netjeru’s arrival is often pretty strong and dramatic. You can be sitting there, sensing nothing and then all of a sudden They are there in the room with you. It’s an amazing experience.

For closing prayer:

(Standing up, I raise my arms, palms facing outward toward Them)

I thank You for Your time, wisdom and love. Help me to grow into a better person and live ever in Ma’at.

Ring the bell and the ritual is over.

I turn off the LED candles and take the food and beverage offerings down to the kitchen to eat.

This sounds like a very long ritual, but I’ve performed this in 5 minutes especially during a very busy day or when the god phone is silent. I try to have a daily ritual even if I’m busy. I notice I benefit more from the pause in my day to pray and communicate with the Netjeru. The insights and wisdom They have given me far exceeds any offerings and prayers I give them during my daily ritual.

Here are some of tips to a successful daily ritual:

Keep the ritual simple. A simple ritual is one you’re most likely to use

Don’t make it too long. A time-consuming ritual will discourage you from practicing often.

Miss a ritual? It’s okay, but make sure it doesn’t become a habit. The quickest way to kill a relationship is to never “call.”

Use plates and dishes you can run in the dishwasher. Okay, I know this is very unorthodox, but having easy to clean dishes for your rituals means you’ll do it more often.

Don’t get hung up on the little details. Again, very unorthodox, but don’t be afraid to change and modify the ritual to make it your own.

Getting stuck in a rut with your ritual? Change it up!

Give from the heart. Fancy offerings and elaborate rituals don’t make up for not giving from the heart.

As a new Kemetic I’m just starting to get involved in a community, mostly online. After 10 years in Catholicism I think one of the beauties of Kemeticism is how individual and unique it can be. You don’t have to practice a ritual a certain way just because of your ancestors. It’s like in Ancient Egypt where each city/region had its own patron god/goddess and creation myth. We now are following the same tradition by discovering unique ways to worship and creating a relationship with the Netjeru.

As a new Kemetic I frequent the forums searching for similar experiences to my own. Maybe I want to confirm I’m on the right path or perhaps my spiritual journey is unique to me. Some Kemetics describe their gods as being possessive or having all the subtlety of a hammer. I’m thinking this is a combination of 1. What god are you working with? 2. What kind of a person are you?

While a whisper might work for one devotee a shout does well for another. When I started considering Isis I didn’t have that bolt out of the blue Aha! moment. It would have been great to have an amazing vision or a voice from On High tell me I was chosen. But that’s not what happened.

Recently I visited southern Europe where I saw Catholic cathedrals everywhere. Needless to say statues and depictions of Mary and the Child Jesus were everywhere. The odd thing was I didn’t really see Mary and Jesus. Instead I saw the Goddess and her Son. I saw Isis and the Child Horus. I made the mistake of commenting to a friend (who is Catholic) that all the depictions of Mary were similar to many Mother Goddesses. My friend was offended I’d make the connection between Mary and a Goddess.

My fascination with Isis, however, grew over the trip. Finally it reached a point where you could say I received a sign. I was touring the Vatican Museum of all places. I’m sure the Vatican hoped pilgrims would receive a Christian religious experience. Instead I found myself staring back at an enormous statue of a Roman Isis.

I’d seen this statue many times before so when I saw it in a room I nearly missed at the Vatican Museum it was a shock. I was transfixed. It was as if there was enormous magnet in the room creating an attraction, drawing me to the statue. I tried to remain calm and unfazed as there was a guard in the room.

After I left the Roman Isis statue I wandered into the Egyptian area where I found many oxidized bronze statues of Isis and sistrums. It was a reminder of how close I was to Isis and her worship in the Roman Empire. I didn’t tell my friend about my experience at the Vatican Museum, but I felt it was Isis’s invitation to me.

When I finally made up my mind to offer my first prayer to Isis I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if Isis still existed. Perhaps deities “die” after so long not being worshipped and remembered. During the prayer, I instantly felt her loving and warm presence. It was like a mother overjoyed to finally hear from her daughter after so many years.

What are your experiences with the gods? How do they connect with you?